Two leading senators last week called upon the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to step up their game to improve the condition of the nation’s forests and address wildfire problems.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that's intended to encourage more domestic violence survivors to seek out restraining orders, according to a news release from Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, the law's author.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a family leave bill Friday that will enable lower-income workers to recoup up to 90 percent of their income when they take time off to care for a new child or a sick family member.
Kern County’s lawmakers in Sacramento counted a number of wins and "setbacks" in the latest legislative session ahead of Friday’s deadline for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign or veto any bills on his desk.
Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed a bill authored by Assemblyman Rudy Salas creating a county redistricting commission.
California’s independent redistricting commission has received generally good reviews for its new maps that voters are using to elect legislators and members of Congress in November.
Statements made Sunday at a Bakersfield church gathering of people running for local school board seats have raised concerns that officials there may have helped recruit, endorsed and solicited campaign contributions on the candidates' behalf in potential violation of the congregation's fede…
During an otherwise congratulatory set of comments Wednesday at a ribbon-cutting for Bakersfield College’s new $65 million Science and Engineering Building, retired Congressman Bill Thomas took the opportunity to note a concern he had about developments in local politics.
City of Bakersfield officials said they know that homelessness is the No. 1 concern facing residents, a problem that creates health and public safety concerns for a variety of reasons.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s last-minute legislative plan for tackling the climate crisis was largely victorious as lawmakers approved laws to set interim targets for 100 percent clean energy and regulate projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere and smokestacks.
Among the dozens of pieces of legislation Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law this week, one from state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, looks to prevent fatal overdoses on college campuses.
California’s campaign finance regulator will not investigate a complaint into Govern For California, the subject of a CalMatters investigation that explored the nonprofit’s role influencing legislative elections and “pushing the envelope” of state campaign finance law.
In its biggest move yet to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change, California enacted Thursday the world’s first regulation to ban sales of new gas cars, which will force car buyers to switch to electric vehicles in 12 years.
Crime, homelessness and road improvements were common talking points in conversations with the various candidates for four Bakersfield City Council seats that will be on the November ballot for city residents.
Days from the end of the legislative session, political observers are once again asking themselves whether a bitter, unresolved battle over labor standards will spell the end of California’s most ambitious proposal to solve its housing affordability crisis.
California lawmakers have less than two weeks to wrap up their work before the end of the legislative session on Aug. 31. And so begins the final legislative traffic jam, as bills line up for final votes.
California lawmakers this month are considering a fast-food bill that would significantly shift the relationship between restaurant workers and the corporate chains whose products they sell.
When Tulare resident Quentin Nelms heard California was offering a hefty state subsidy to help lower-income residents buy electric cars, he applied right away.
Kings County Supervisor Joe Neves guided his pickup to a stop next to a long line of chain-link fencing. On one side of a gravel road stood row after row of glinting solar panels. The automated mirrors pivot and turn, following the sun in its daily path across the Central Valley sky.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, asked for support on the House floor Tuesday for the Save Our Sequoias Act.
If Kern County is going to move further toward sustainable energy, it’s going to need everyone on board.
After the We Are Kern County coalition amassed enough signatures for its ballot initiative, voters were supplied with a decision in November pertaining to term limits for county supervisors.
After experiencing a race with the closest margins of any in the June 7 primary, both 35th Assembly District candidates are looking to November with optimism.
The city of Bakersfield announced Monday the filing period for the upcoming City Council elections on Nov. 6, which will feature ward nos. 1, 3, 4 and 7.
Kern County Registrar of Voters Mary Bedard said Thursday she has sent the final results of the June 7 primary election to the Secretary of State’s Office for certification ahead of Friday’s deadline.
Former Bakersfield Homeless Center CEO Louis Gill, a candidate for Kern County's 3rd District Board of Supervisors seat, issued a statement Friday conceding defeat in the June 7 primary election.
After eight years, two terms and countless constituent calls, Bakersfield City Councilman Chris Parlier recently announced he would not be seeking a third term.
Manpreet Kaur is proud to be an “other” from Bakersfield. Like many second- and third-generation U.S. Sikhs, however, she’d like to see that ethnic classification — which is really no classification at all — go away.
A longtime local commercial real estate broker announced his candidacy for Ward 3 of the Bakersfield City Council.
More than enough signatures have been gathered to place a voter initiative on the November ballot asking whether to place term limits on members of the county Board of Supervisors, according to a determination made this week by the county's top elections official.
On the heels of the state Legislature's approval of a $300 billion spending plan Monday, Kern's elected officials in the state Assembly and Senate issued the following statements:
Members of California’s Air Resources Board this week questioned the practicalities of their staff’s proposal to ban gas-powered vehicles, raising concerns over challenges in buying and charging electric cars.
While the voter turnout for a primary election can be lower than in a presidential election year, both candidates for the state Senate’s 12th District race were happy with their results Wednesday, but for different reasons.
Several candidates in the June primary will advance to the Nov. 8 general election regardless of the final outcome of the ballots cast Tuesday, because they are the only two candidates in the state’s top-two system.
A majority of Kern ballots from election night have been counted, but a sizable amount of votes remained outstanding Wednesday and could affect outcomes for candidates separated by a thin margin, according to the county elections office.
Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, recognized a local organization as his Nonprofit of the Year on Wednesday, according to a news release.
In the 22nd Congressional District race, Rep. David Valadao, R-Bakersfield, is hoping to hold off a pair of Republican challengers and Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, in a bid to keep his seat.
While the final numbers weren’t available as of press time, both state Sen. Shannon Grove and challenger Susanne Gundy knew they would be facing off for the state Senate’s 12th District seat in November.
Republican incumbent Kevin McCarthy and Democratic challenger Marisa Wood, in early voting results Tuesday, were comfortably ahead of three other candidates running for California's 20th Congressional District seat.
Five of the dozens of Kern County candidates vying for reelection had a relatively easier path than most.
The race for Kern County's Third District Board of Supervisors seat was too early to call Tuesday as early results showed all three candidates within 9.5 percentage points of each other.
Early results Tuesday in the auditor-controller-county clerk-registrar of voters race showed Aimee Espinoza leading over opponent Mark McKenzie with 60.65 percent of the votes.
While the run-up to the primary in the 16th District generated some heated discussion between two Democrats thought to be front-runners, the Republican challenger took an early lead Tuesday night.
Assessor-recorder candidate Laura Avila pulled ahead of opponent Todd Reeves in early returns, with 265 precincts out of 569 reporting at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded $4.3 million to the Mojave Air and Space Port to improve the facility's main and longest runway.
Months of campaigning will culminate Tuesday with a statewide primary election that could decide a number of Kern County seats while also deciding finalists for a series of state and federal runoffs coming this fall.
When Ashley Raveche and her husband bought their home in Mill Valley, they thought they were doing everything right. The 1,300 square foot house already had vents with screens that make it harder for embers to get in and a tar and gravel roof, top-rated for fire safety. They installed double…
The campaign to expand free tuition to more low-income California students has been riding a wave of unanimous goodwill, despite its large costs. But the state’s — and nation’s — largest public university system has made public its concern that key trade-offs required for that expansion will…
If you haven’t noticed, your mail carrier certainly has: Election season has arrived in California and with it, the regular flood of political ads from unions, corporations and other special interest groups hoping to influence your vote.
The Kern County Elections Office announced this week that official drop boxes are now available 24 hours, 7 days a week. The boxes will close at 8 p.m. on June 7.
Positive Cases Among Kern Residents: 288,301
Deaths: 2,549
Recovered and Presumed Recovered Residents: 276,968
Percentage of all cases that are unvaccinated: 72.35
Percentage of all hospitalizations that are unvaccinated: 83.19
Updated: 9/29/22
